Why Does My Hip Hurt After Playing Pickleball?

Hip pain after pickleball shows up as ache or sharp pain in the hip, groin, or outer thigh during or after play, most often from lunging and lateral loading.

Why pickleball bothers hips

The lunge, repeated, is the main driver.

Reaching wide for a ball puts the hip into flexion and abduction under load, a demanding position for the joint. Do it once and nothing happens. Do it forty times in a session, week after week, and the tissues around the joint start to complain. According to AAOS OrthoInfo, a hip strain happens when a muscle supporting the joint is stretched beyond its limit or torn, and repetitive movement is one of the main causes. AAOS OrthoInfo also lists inadequate warm-up, sudden increases in intensity, and poor conditioning as risk factors, all of which show up on a pickleball court.

The kitchen line adds a second mechanism. A sustained half crouch keeps the hip flexors shortened and working for long stretches, then a deep ball forces a quick extension out of that position.

A third factor sits off the court entirely. Most adults spend the day sitting, which leaves hip flexors short and glutes underused before play even starts.

What kind of hip pain it is

Location tells you a lot, and it is worth paying attention to.

Mayo Clinic groups hip pain by where you feel it. Pain on the inside of the hip or in the groin typically points to the joint itself. Pain on the outer hip, upper thigh, or buttock usually points to the muscles, tendons, or other soft tissue around the joint, according to Mayo Clinic.

• Outer hip, over the bony point, sore to lie on. Usually the tendons and the bursa on the outside of the hip.
• Front of the hip or groin, worse on deep flexion. Could be a hip flexor strain, or it could be something inside the joint, and the distinction matters.
• Deep groin pain with clicking or catching, especially on turning or squatting. AAOS OrthoInfo describes this pattern as a hallmark of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), where extra bone growth on the hip joint causes the bones to rub. This pattern deserves assessment rather than patience.
• Back of the hip or upper glute. Often from the push-off rather than the reach.
• Pain that radiates down the leg. A different problem, and it may come from the back rather than the hip.

What to do first

The same sequence that helps most overuse pain applies here.

1. Stop the session. Playing through hip pain reliably extends it.
2. Reduce volume rather than stopping entirely. Complete rest tends to stiffen a hip.
3. Give it 10 to 14 days before judging progress. AAOS OrthoInfo lists rest, ice, compression, and anti-inflammatory medication as the standard first steps for a hip strain, with that window as the typical timeline before reassessing.
4. Warm up longer. Hips need more warm-up than most people give them, particularly in the morning. A stretching routine after you play also helps keep the surrounding tissue from tightening up between sessions.
5. Start glute work. Weak glutes make the hip flexors and the outer hip do work they are not built for. Bridges, side-lying leg raises, and step-ups are common starting points.
6. Look at how wide you are reaching. Lunging for balls you should be moving your feet to is a footwork problem that shows up as a hip problem. See how to improve footwork for pickleball.

Ordinary muscle soreness the day after a long session is different from this kind of pain. If you are not sure which one you are dealing with, what normal soreness after pickleball looks like is a useful comparison.

When to get it looked at

Some hip pain is worth a professional opinion rather than another two weeks of hoping.

• Deep groin pain, especially with clicking, catching, or locking. AAOS OrthoInfo names this pattern, along with pain during turning, twisting, or squatting, as characteristic of femoroacetabular impingement.
• Pain that changes how you walk.
• Night pain that wakes you.
• No improvement at all after 10 to 14 days of reduced play, the recovery window AAOS OrthoInfo gives for a typical hip strain.
• Any sense of the joint giving way, or a tendon injury severe enough that AAOS OrthoInfo notes it may require surgical repair if it has pulled away from the bone.

Hip problems are one of the areas where a professional opinion earns its cost quickly, because the difference between a muscular problem and a joint problem is hard to work out on your own. A physician or physical therapist can examine the joint, and imaging can confirm what a description over the phone cannot.

Whether you can keep playing

Usually, with adjustments.

Doubles rather than singles halves the ground you cover. A partner who takes the middle reduces your wide reaches. Shorter sessions matter more than easier ones, because a hip strain responds to how much load it sees rather than how intense any single point feels.

Returning to the court after a hip replacement is common, and the timing is a decision for the surgeon rather than an article. See pickleball after hip or knee replacement.

FAQ

Why does your hip hurt after pickleball? Most often from repeated lunging and lateral loading, which puts the hip into a demanding position many times per session. According to AAOS OrthoInfo, inadequate warm-up and poor conditioning are common contributing factors. Sitting for long stretches between sessions makes the surrounding muscles tighter and weaker going in.

Is hip pain after pickleball serious? Usually not. Most cases match what AAOS OrthoInfo describes as a hip strain, which typically improves with 10 to 14 days of rest and reduced activity. Deep groin pain, clicking, catching, or a changed walk point to something that needs a professional look rather than more rest.

Should hip flexors be stretched? Stretching often helps, and strengthening the glutes usually helps more. Tight hip flexors are frequently a symptom of glutes that are not doing their share of the work.

How long should hip pain last? Muscular soreness eases within a few days. AAOS OrthoInfo gives 10 to 14 days as the typical window for a hip strain to settle with rest; pain still present after that needs assessment.

Can you play through it? Reduce volume rather than playing through it. Playing through hip pain reliably turns a short-term problem into a long-term one.

What exercises help a sore hip? Glute bridges, side-lying leg raises, and step-ups are common starting points. A physical therapist can tailor the plan to what is actually driving the pain.

Does playing doubles help? Yes. It roughly halves the court you cover and reduces the wide reaching that causes most lunge-related hip pain.

Can you play pickleball after a hip replacement? Many patients do, and the timing is a decision for the surgeon rather than an article. See pickleball after hip or knee replacement for what that conversation usually covers.

If hip pain keeps interrupting your play, the Pickler Junction directory lists physicians and physical therapists by location. This article is general information, not medical advice.

Written by the Pickler Junction Team.